North Berwick’s Eves elected as 101st Maine speaker

AUGUSTA — Rep. Mark Eves, 35, D-North Berwick, was formally sworn-in Thursday as the 101st Speaker of the Maine House during the swearing-in ceremony of the 126th Legislature.

Eves was elected in a unanimous vote. Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston and Republican minority leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport both gave nomination speeches in support of Eves.

During his floor speech accepting the nomination, Eves told the 151 members of the House of Representatives that they would have to work together to strengthen Maine’s economy.

“The people of Maine have asked us to be their voice and to build a blueprint for a stronger Maine — this is both an opportunity, and a challenge,” said Eves. I am proud to lead us to this great opportunity. I am honored to have earned your support. And I ask for your help in meeting this challenge. We must work together. The challenges we face are too big for one party to solve alone.”

Eves will be entering his third term in the Maine House. For the past four years, he served on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, most recently as the ranking House minority member.

“We must lay out a blueprint for a better Maine — and that blueprint is ours to draw together,” said Eves. “We should not turn the clock back. If we are truly going to begin to rebuild the middle class in our state, we must move forward with strong and effective solutions that address the very real problems we face.”

Eves is a marriage and family therapist by training and serves as business development director for Sweetser, a statewide behavioral health care organization for children, adults and families. Eves and his wife, Laura, have three young children, ages 7, 5, and 3.

The 151 members also unanimously elected Millicent MacFarland of Augusta to serve as House Clerk and Rob Hunt of Yarmouth to serve as Assistant House Clerk. Macfarland served as Clerk from 2000-2010. Hunt is a former lawmaker from Buxton.

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